President Obama has pledged not to raise money for his official library while in office, but a new report suggests that donors who contribute $100,000 or more may receive a private audience at the White House.
“The fact is, being a supporter of the president does not secure you a visit to the White House, nor does it preclude you from one,” White House deputy press secretary Jennifer Friedman told Maplight, a nonprofit that reports on money in politics.
That’s true, as a Maplight report shows that fewer than half of the highest-value “named donors” to the Obama Foundation, which is raising money for the presidential library, have visited the White House. However, every six-figure donor has visited with the president.
“Nearly three-quarters of the contributors the foundation has disclosed have been invited to the White House for events with Obama, including every donor whose family or foundation has contributed more than $100,000,” the report said.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest has emphasized that President Obama will not fundraise for the library while in office, but otherwise demurred when asked about transparent library fundraising. “I would refer you to my colleagues who are much more steeped in the details of the fundraising guidelines and practices of the Obama library,” he said on May 1.
